Arthur formed off the coast of Florida on Saturday, making it the sixth straight year for a named storm to develop before the official June 1 start of the Atlantic hurricane season.

Tropical Storm Arthur is expected to batter the East Coast just in time for Fourth of July fireworks.

Friday, the National Hurricane Center increased the chance of the system turning into Tropical Storm Arthur. NHC said there is now an 80 percent chance that happens in the next 48 hours.

Tropical Storm Arthur is crawling closer to the North Carolina coast, amid threats of some minor flooding and rough seas as the system moves off the Southeast seaboard.